Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding on a skateboard and performing tricks. A skateboard generally includes a skateboard deck, a pair of trucks, several bearings, four wheels, and mounting hardware. Additionally, a skateboard may optionally include a pair of risers. A riser is a pad, often made from a hard plastic material, which is placed between a skateboard deck and a skateboard truck. Traditionally, risers have been used on skateboards that are equipped with larger wheels to prevent the wheels from contacting the skateboard deck in normal operating conditions.
At an increasing rate, both at the amateur and the professional level, skateboarders record video of each other performing tricks on a skateboard. The practice of recording another skateboarder performing a trick or stunt is often referred to as “filming.” After filming several tricks, one or more video edits may be produced sequentially depicting different skateboarders and skateboard tricks.
Although filming has thrived, recording skateboarding tricks often requires the skateboarder to enlist the help of a friend to hold the camera and follow the skateboarder as he/she performs their trick. In other action sports, such as surfing or snowboarding, cameras have been mounted onto the sporting equipment. In the case of surfing, it is convenient to mount a camera onto a surfboard's nose because a camera that has been mounted onto the nose of a surfboard does not impede the functionality of the surfboard. However, in skateboarding, the entire top and bottom surface of the skateboard is utilized when performing tricks. Additionally, the skateboard is balanced evenly with a center point between the two trucks. The weight and size of a portable action sports camera, which would require additional mounting hardware attached to the surface of the skateboard, may disrupt the skateboarder's ability to ride and perform tricks properly. A camera and a video recording system integrated into a component of the skateboard would allow the skateboarder to record their tricks without the use of an external camera or cameraperson. Additionally, the skateboarder is able to perform and record a wider range of tricks with an integrated recording system that won't impede the functionality of the skateboard.